NINE

NINE. Today is Adrian's NINTH birthday. I still cannot believe it as I am typing this post. Nine years have passed in a blink of the eye. I always thought the saying "The days are long but the years are short" was kinda corny but today I understand it. I look at my boy and wonder where the past nine years have gone.

This year he asked for a laser tag party. Adrian gets what he wants on his birthday so on Sunday, we celebrated with a party at Laserland. He invited alot of his friends, his step-siblings his cousins. In total, he celebrated with 15 of his nearest and dearest!

I am kinda loving having parties at places like Laserland. They do everything. All you need to do is bring the cake and goody bags. They entertain the kids, feed them and clean up!

Family first and these people right here never miss a party! 

I was so relaxed. No need to stress when everything is being done for you!

Here are the kids getting ready for laser tag. They played 2 games. One just the kids and the other, adults versus kids. The adults came out of that room sweaty and defeated!

My friends and I even joined in the fun. In between the laser tag games, there is an arcade where the kids can play. We took advantage to play a game of air hockey while they were playing a laser tag game!

He only had one other request for his birthday: a camo cake. He didn't want a regular camo cake though, it had to be black and white camo. I ordered a regular cake from our local bakery and JC attached the camo-shapes at home with sugar sheets!

Adrian and my brother. These two argue as much as any two people can argue but I know there is lots of love there too!

His Tita. My mom and Adrian have an incredible bond!

With my sisters. These are his other two moms (that let him get away with whatever he wants!)

Today, he is celebrating his special day by going to a blogging event with me (oh the joys of being a blogger's kid) and then we will go to the toy store to use up some gift cards he received on Sunday. Oh and of course, there will be another cake. It's my strong belief that there must be a cake and singing on your actual birthday, no matter how else you may celebrate!!

Happy Birthday Adrian! I love you from the bottom of my heart and to the moon and back! 

Amberly is 9: Tutus, American Girl & Roller Skating!

On December 27th, Amberly turned 9 years old! Last year, she had a Rainbow Art Party for her birthday but this year she wanted a 9 pancake stack and to go roller skating. I like to make sure each birthday is special so I had a little surprise in store for her but first, her 9 pancake stack topped with 9 candles (she doesn't like cake!):

After she ate about 1/2 the stack (that skinny-minnie can eat!!) she changed into her birthday outfit. She picked out a glittery shirt, lime green tutu/petticoat, colorful bubble print leggings, pink wedge heels and a big white bow. Exactly what a girly 9 year old should wear, in my opinion. The boys were very excited and lovable with her on her special day!

So was her dad. This is the expression I get every time I say "Amberly, come take a pic with your dad, just you two!!" She is a BIG daddy's girl if I ever saw one. 

We arrived at The Falls Mall and started walking around. Now remember I told you there was a surprise. Well, Amberly had been asking for an American Girl doll all year and we pretended we didn't know what she was talking about. We could have easily bought her one for Christmas but I believe getting your first American Girl doll should be an unforgettable experience. So we planned to take her to the store so she could pick one out on her birthday. When we arrived at the mall, I told her I needed to pick up a few things before we went roller skating. She was super bummed that we were taking so long but walked next to me quietly. We passed in front of the American Girl store, she looked up at me and politely asked if we could go inside and look around. I told her we only had a few minutes. She went inside and was in shock. She grabbed my hand and asked me to walk with her. I had made arrangements to have a personal shopper waiting for her and as soon as they saw us come in, the shopper approached us and asked us if we needed any help. I said "Actually yes, we have a birthday girl here that will be getting her first American Girl doll today!" I heard a squeal and managed to capture the most joyous expression on her face:

Her personal shopper, Rosalyn, guided her through the store and helped her pick the doll that most resembled Amberly. Now, Amberly is terrible at making a decision, so this was a long process but Rosalyn was super patient with her. 

After she chose her doll, it was time to pick some outfits. This took another while and during this time, Amberly's mom showed up. Her mom, JC, Amberly and I walked around and around the store picking out outfits, a hair brush, shoes, etc..., waited in an eternal line (you would think people would be tired of spending money 2 days after Christmas but nope!) and then Colette joined our family.

If you have never been, the American Girl stores are quite an experience. There are so many dolls, the current and the history dolls, accessories, the Girl of the Year, books, a hair salon and a bistro. These dolls become a part of your family. Colette has been everywhere with Amberly ever since and we are already looking into her cruise outfits for when she comes with us on our Disney Cruise! 

After American Girl, we finally went roller skating. Amberly, JC and Gian love roller skating, me not so much and Adrian will attempt it for a bit. I invited one of his friends from school to join us and she convinced Adrian to skate with her. This was the cuteness I was dying over: 

Amberly looked amazing out there. Her tutu and roller skate look was classic. I kept watching her and thinking this is exactly what 9 should be. 

Their favorite part at the rink was when they played Red Light, Green Light. This is an incredibly hard game to play while roller skating but these kids are pros. 

I know Amberly really enjoyed this birthday. She is at an age where this will be one of those birthdays that leave an impactful memory. She did what she wanted to do, she was surprised, she was happy! I wish her the same for every birthday from here on. 

And now it's time to scour the internet for more tutus/petticoats...she is OBSESSED!

Does your child have an American Girl doll? Do you remember your 9th birthday?

5 Ways To Be Unstoppable During The Holidays!

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children's MOTRIN® and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own. 

Ah, the holidays!! The time of year to celebrate with family and friends. November and December are also the busiest time of the year for our family. On top of hosting Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas day lunch, we celebrate all three of our kids birthdays. Yep, you read that correctly, ALL THREE KIDS birthdays, on November 10th (Adrian), November 11 (Gian) and December 27th (Amberly).  People always ask me "How do you do it?", "How can you stay sane?" and the answer is "I just do, I'm unstoppable! I'm ready to celebrate holidays and birthdays with my family and friends!

1. PLAN/PREPARE IN ADVANCE:
The best way to stay sane during this time of the year is to plan in advance. I start planning the kids birthday parties during the summer. I DIY alot of things for the parties so starting early helps. Like I mentioned above, we host Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house, so those meals are also planned in advance. I have been pinning recipes and ideas all year long. I also prepare in advance, meaning I make meals in advance. There are lots of school plays, sports events, baby showers, birthday parties, holiday parties and family events to attend during these months and I have lots of meals already in the freezer. Just take them out, heat them up, have dinner and off we go.

2. GIVE EVERYONE A CHORE:
I wouldn't have a clean house or any clean clothes to wear if I didn't give everyone a chore. Biggest one: Pick up after yourselves. If I have to say this too many times, I grab a black garbage bag out of the pantry. They know that when that bag comes out, everything that is in my way will be thrown out! I also post up chore charts with assigned laundry days, dishwashing, etc. Everyone has to do their part!

3. SHOP ONLINE:
This is the most genius idea ever! I do not have time to shop at the store. I definitely don't want to wait in line so I just shop online. I also find better sales online. Oh and who doesn't love free shipping, like most stores offer during the holidays. It's a win-win situation!

4. WALK/RUN/PRACTICE YOGA:
I need this, even if its just a walk around the block. I need that time to just be. I might wake up a little earlier or walk during my lunchtime at work, but I try to de-stress at least 3 times a week. It also helps burn some of those pesky holiday pounds. r 

5. HAVE FUN:
So the house isn't spotless? So I forgot to make a side dish? BIG DEAL!! The holidays are for celebrating. I do the best I can and if I forgot something, then oh well! I make it a point to have fun. the last thing I want is to look back and all I remember is the decoration I forgot to put up! There's always next year!!

How do you stay unstoppable during the holidays? Remember to share your tips on the MOTRIN® Facebook page and enter the sweepstakes to win a $100 gift card! For every post, Children's MOTRIN® will donate $1 to Safe Kids Worldwide, a global non-profit that provides moms with the tips they need to keep their children safe.*


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Opening Night Amazingness!!!

Last night was one of the funnest nights I have had in a long time. If you follow me on Instagram (@scggirl) you already know that we went to the opening night Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards game for the 2014-2015 season. On top of being there for opening night, it was Adrian's first Heat game. We decided that this was the year where we would start taking him to games and opening night an early birthday gift for him (his birthday is November 10th). We made the right decision! I have never seen him so happy and nervous!

Warning: Most pics are phone pics!!

First thing, we rode on the train. He had been asking me to ride the train for years now but there was never really an occasion to take him. By the way, the train is the Metrorail, an above ground rail train that took us to downtown Miami where the American Airlines Arena is. Way easier than driving downtown, paying $30-40 for parking and then being stuck in traffic.

When we arrived at the arena, I took this picture. This picture will be printed out and framed for sure!

The tickets we purchased for opening night included an early access pass. We went to one of the back entrances and were allowed into Section 112 at around 6pm to watch the players warm up!

Adrian is a BIG Birdman fan so he was super excited when Birdman came out to warm up!

I wanted to make this night extra special for Adrian so I made sure he was part of the High Five Club!

The High Five Club is an experience for the kids. They get to line up on the court and high five the players as they come out to the court for the game! I wasn't able to go down there with him but I was able to download these pics from the HEAT fan site.

Adrian is int he row on the right, sixth kid. If you look closely, he looks terrified! 

When they brought him back to me, he was ecstatic. "Mommy, I touched Dwayne Wade's hand! and Mommy, Birdman is bigger than last time!" He had met Birdman before! Maybe he grew a few inches? LOL!

After that it was gametime. Adrian was able to keep up with the game but since he had never been to a basketball game before, he just looked and listened for a bit. When he figured out that you could yell and trash talk, it was on!! Definitely saw a new side to him last night, unruly sports fan!

We had a wonderful time! The Heat beat the Wizards 107-95. It was a great opening night game. I'm hoping Adrian is old enough to remember this special day for years to come, I know I will!!!

Have you taken your kids to a basketball game?